Rat-tat-tatting on Mainframe's Door
by The Ikran Rider
Summary: The crew of the Saucy Mare finally found Bob and Samus. Now, they're heading home to Mainframe. But there are several unexpected surprises along the way during this dangerous voyage.


**A/N: At first, I wasn't sure why I thought Raticate would be a good idea for the episode it was based on, known as Mousetrap. Since the crew was fully exposed to the Web, I didn't really have the Pokémon do very much. And as the name would imply, this was an homage to the Guns 'N' Roses song, Knocking on Heaven's Door. I tried to make ends meet as best I could, so...here it is.**

Akari never wanted to be a part of the soirée below decks; she was not a fan of big gatherings with large crowds, or drinking ROM, and the hula dancers and unusual delicacy made her feel nauseous. So instead she headed to the hull that led to Samus' ship. She was still very grateful the bounty hunter managed to find Bob and also use her missing Pokémon to assist them and find their way. She was having a nice, quiet pep talk, aside from her Raticate, named Ratricia, stealing some of the leftover snacks that didn't seem to make their stomachs crawl.

"So, lemme get this straight: you started with my Abra, then you managed to evolve it into a Kadabra through experience. And then you found some intel via transmission that he can change into Alakazam through trading, so you gave him to Bob to trigger it? How did you do it?"

"By using his teleporting ability, of course; we never had to backtrack anywhere. And he got more versatile as he got stronger. Bob was an amazing Pokémon Trainer, and he learned fast on what they can do; no different than a Guardian working with his Keytool."

"And Kabuto evolved into Kabutops in lesser time. Huh, it's like they got stronger faster than the time it takes in both Mainframe and Earth combined."

"So, what about the Games?"

"Well, I did manage to get a Marowak and a Scizor, and...that's it." Akari felt jealous on how rapid everyone has changed, including Bob, Frisket, Matrix and AndrAIa. She thought that she did something wrong and wondered what she should've done that Samus and Bob did and she couldn't.

While the conversation strecthed on, there was a Binome nearby who upchucked some of his code into a barrel, while Matrix and the revived AndrAIa relaxed. "What's wrong, lover?" she asked her mate.

"For once, AndrAIa, nothing's the matter. We did, we found Bob." This was actually the first time anyone saw Matrix, the hotheaded renegade, feel so happy and optimistic. "With Bob around, I know everything's gonna be alright. I can't tell you how good it is to see him."

"Don't tell me, tell him."

He hesitated as he dropped his head. "...That's the problem. I can't. We've been through so much, and I've changed. What if he doesn't like what I've become? He was...is, my hero."

"Come on, let's get back to the party; two old friends have some catching up to do."

Akari was still in a deep conversation with Samus and reuniting with her Pokémon that she hadn't seen in what felt to be as much as a cycle. While Ratricia scampered away and headed below to collect more food; she especially loved the old cheese the crew kept.

As she got there, she saw the Surfer take what appears to be a Web Slug, a little, black and disturbing organism, as he held it to his mouth. Little did she know it was actually the Riders' disgusting delicacy.

"Ooh, wiggle." Princess Bula commented while she shook her hulking body.

"Ergh, I never got used to that stuff, it wriggles all the way down." The Guardian said. He was sitting at the safe side of the large banquet next to his newfound friend, Captain Capacitor.

Two Web Riders have complimented the Surfer, but all the party animals heard were their voices sounding like a dial-tone. "He's got guts. I'll give him that."

"I never got used to the way it wriggles all the way down."

With a few slow nanoseconds, the Surfer managed to swallow the slug. Then, he collapsed after he looked like he was choking while the vile worm was crawling down his throat. The private party went deathly silent as Ray lied still. Then, he rose from the table, alive and well. "Yeah! Alright!"

The gang cheered, and so did one of the beastly Riders.

"You are a warrior. You have honor!" he exclaimed in that annoying clatter. He slapped Ray on the back which forced him back a few feet.

Suddenly, he bumped into Matrix as he was entering the party, ready to talk to Bob. Unfortunately, the sudden intrusion caused him to immediately take out his Gun and aim it straight at him! All the party goers, and Ratricia, temporarily stopped, excepting a couple Riders. They marched up to him, then he aimed his Gun at them!

"Handbag... Teakettle... Barbeque..." Surfer tried his best to speak their dialect, but did a poor job.

"What in the Web is he talking about?!" one of the Riders asked.

"I think he wants us to calm down!" another frightfully replied.

Bob spoke up to the PTSD Sprite, "Enzo, what do you think you're doing? Put that gun down, now!"

"Come on, mate." Ray added.

Fortunately, AndrAIa stormed in and lowered his arm. "Don't worry, Bob." She faced him in a calm demeanor, "Crisis over." Bob took a sigh of relief and was plenty surprised on his behavior; he was clearly not the upbeat, cheerful kid he used to know.

"I didn't mean to. I just reacted. I couldn't stop myself. I'm...I'm sorry." he stuttered before he walked away. AndrAIa glanced to the side, signaling he really needs to talk to him. Bob nodded in agreement.

A few nanos have passed while the crew were trying to calm down. The lost Guardian met Matrix in the main deck along with Ratricia nibbling rapidly on a piece of cheese. She didn't stay with the duo and immediately ran back to her own mates near Samus' ship. Matrix was still moping and looked very ashamed of what happened back there. "Bob... I'm so sorry. I wanted you to be proud of me. And I blew it... What have I done? What have I become?"

"Look, you survived the Games, brought this crew together and rescued me. I am proud of you, Enzo." he assured him.

"I've done...questionable things."

"You did what you had to do. We've all changed, all grown, and now it's time to fight back."

"A lost Guardian and a renegade, not a Keytool between 'em." He still couldn't believe that Glitch was with Bob who used to be a masked Web Rider.

"And a big job to do, but we'll be ok. Surfer can get us back to Mainframe. We'll deal with Megabyte and then Daemon, together." Bob said with a boost of confidence. Then he held out a hand, "You ready?"

He took it with a hearty grab. "Yeah." They were on their way to meet up with the rest of the crew, until the renegade hesitated. "Bob?" He turned and faced him again. "It's good to see you again."

With a smile, he said, "It's good to see you, too...Matrix." The grown Sprite grinned back.

About a microsecond later, Samus decided to detach her vessel from the Saucy Mare. She received the signal that a Tear was in sight. Before she did, though, Akari finally received all of her Pokémon fully healed. She was so trilled that they were all finally in her possession.

On a nearby VidWindow, the helmsman, Mr. Andrew, made the announcement, "The Tear is here, Captain. We're approaching the web address to Mainframe."

Capacitor faced Ray lounging near the table filled with more slugs and donuts. "Surfer stand ready to open the Portal!" He stood up and was about to summon his board, but the ship shook violently.

"By the code. What was that?" The captain was perplexed on what the attack was. He faced the screen again, "Mr. Andrew, status."

"Sir, we have triggered some sort of...Energy Trap."

The guys rushed up and saw all the VidWindows view a radical lightning storm. Electricity was striking directly at the hull. There was a nasty scratch within the shielding.

"There's no way out, Captain." Mr. Andrew reported.

Matrix brainstormed then theorized who were making these lethal onslaughts. "Guardians. This must've been one of their attacks!"

The Binomes couldn't agree more as they protested, "Yeah, it's the Guardians alright!"

Bob silenced the riled up crew. "I don't think so, Enzo. This can't be the work of the Guardians. It's not their style. You see-"

"Captain, look." Through a VidWindow, Mr. Andrews pointed out an electrical charge. The massive bolt struck the Mare again, putting the Binomes, and the Pokémon, in a panic.

"She's overloading." There were some sporadic flashing as the captain ordered, "Mr. Andrew, power down all the systems. We need to take this ship offline." He figured this would be easier to make them less noticeable targets.

He spoke to another VidWindow that overlooked the power room, "You heard the captain. TOTAL SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN NOW!" Inside, the Mare was overshadowed, and only a few dim red lights were turned on, only acting as emergency power. The young Pokémon, including Ratricia, grew terrified. She even held onto Akari's leg.

Matrix observed, "I can see through the shielding. It's getting worse out there. The charges are increasing in frequency and strength. We're rats caught in a trap."

"Or mice." Bob added. "That's it, this must be one of Mouse's traps. She's the only other Sprite who knew Mainframe's address. She sealed and protected the location!" Everyone remembered what he meant; when Mainframe was being raided by the Web, and just before he was shot into it, Mouse made the arrangements so the System would be sealed off from the Net. This was probably why Matrix, AndrAIa, Frisket, and Akari were unable to return to home via the Games.

Matrix was in utter shock. "Mouse. We might've stood a chance against the Guardians. But Mouse?"

"I know." Bob sulked, "This is bad. Very bad." Dealing with a professional hacker was never going to be an easy feat; that alone proved she was a bigger, more powerful threat than the infected cronies.

"He's back." Akari complimented.

"No time for that!" Capacitor brought her back to the present. Just then, another massive jolt shook the ship at the stem. He startled, "Shiver me templates. The old girl can't take much more of this."

"We gotta hand it to Mouse, she really knows her stuff." The Guardian said.

"That last hit burnt out all tracks to the power supply." AndrAIa chimed in.

"Without power, we're sitting ducks." Matrix added.

"Maybe I can use my Electric Pokémon to power up the systems again-" Akari suggested, but she was cut off.

"That's not gonna work." Mr. Andrew said. The result would make the situation worse, as it would fry and probably burn the Mare from the inside, while also put her exposed Pokémon in serious risk.

"Maybe we should get out and push." Ray muttered.

"Not by ourselves, Surfer. But the power of the storm itself." Capacitor had an idea. He then faced the renegade, "Matrix, I need the help from that eye of yours."

Without Gun drawn, Matrix let his left eye scan the outside. He could see the lightning storm and a bolt gathering energy. "Steady. There's a charge approaching. Wait for it..? Wait for it?" The fatal electricity was unleased. "Now!"

"Hoist the sails. Brace ourselves!" At the captain's orders, the thick sails stuck out, making the large spark carry them forward. Unfortunately, they weren't really durable, as they were sizzling like paper against the volatile current. "By Gah! We'll ride this blasted energy wave clear to Mainframe!" he declared.

"No, wait!" Samus was in her gunship, watching the attacks all the while. So far, she didn't get a single scratch on her. She tried to signal the Mare, but it just kept going further and further away from her. Then, she was taken aback by a large charge and a buffer wall.

"Hold steady, lad." Capacitor said to Mr. Andrews who was slipping from the wheel. The ship pierced through the buffer where Samus couldn't, unfortunately, as the sails disintegrated completely, they only wound up several feet away from the Tear. The hull tipped a little to the right as it made a complete stop. The situation seemed very grim on returning home; they were stranded.

"That's it. We're dead in the Web." Matrix said.

The Trainer and Ratricia sulked, her whiskers deflated, "It's hopeless."

Mr. Christopher was mumbling of the ship being burned out and about a fire sale.

Bob wasn't about to give up just yet. "There's gotta be a way to get our systems back online." He faced the leading pirate, "Captain! Do you have the ship's schematics."

"Mr. Christopher, the charts." He followed the captain, and Matrix took them away and laid the sheet out on a nearby table.

"Ok, Bob. What's the plan?"

"Well, I, uh...Ugh!" He couldn't see around his broad body. AndrAIa tapped the renegade on the shoulder and rectified his mistake.

"Oh, sorry, Bob."

"Well, AndrAIa? Do you think you could get us back online?"

"Sure. With a little time. And a lot of luck." She looked over the chart. "What's that connector for? I can't make it out in the dark."

"Hey, can someone bring a light over here?" Bob requested.

Akari nodded and spoke loudly, "Hey, Blaze, could you help us out?"

The little Charmander marched up to the group, then he brought his tail over to see if there was enough light for them. "Char?" He was a bit wary trying not to let his tail flame incinerate the thin paper.

"Uh, thanks." Unfortunately, it was not what the Guardian had hoped for; there was a strange high-pitched noise as a tiny body of light descended and ate away the chart like acid.

"Now what?" The Game Sprite startled.

Surfer concluded, "Pixels. They're eating through the ship." From the looks of things, the entire ship was lighting up like a disfigured Christmas tree.

Mr. Andrews said, "Captain, they're all over us. They're covering the Web shields."

"By the code, is there any end to this Web madness?!"

The Binomes, as well as the Pokémon, tried their best to fend off the pixels. Although they had to keep their moves in check in order to prevent the ship from being destroyed. It was growing more vulnerable by the nanosecond.

"It's no good fighting them in here! We have to stop them BEFORE they enter the ship!" Bob said. He gave a slight nod to his nearby Web Rider friend.

"The Guardian needs us to take the fight outside. Now!" he replied. It was enough for his compatriots to understand.

The Surfer finally rose from below decks on his board. "Hold on, boys. Never a fight without me."

Bob headed straight for the massive door, but it wouldn't budge.

"There's no power, sir. I can't open it." Mr. Andrew said as he was being surrounded by pixels.

"What we need is a little brute force." The Guardian suggested.

Matrix was the first to make the call. "Stand back."

Akari volunteered as well. "No problem. Kangashkhan, you know what to do!"

A flash of light was seen in the distance and the Parent Pokémon ran toward the door. Both she and Matrix used all their might and opened the hull within a few nanoseconds. Her joey cowardly went out of her pouch and held tightly against her leg just as the heavy winds blew against them. All the Web Riders hopped aboard their dragons and flew out.

One of them commented on Matrix's heroism, "You act with honor...there is hope for you yet...warrior."

Ray soared in. "Next time I want to pick a fight with you, talk me out of it!"

Matrix bid the Surfer farewell. "Good luck out there, and look after yourself. We need you to open the Portal!" He turned into his alternate outfit and headed out before Matrix slammed the hatch shut.

They took the fray outside, and the Riders shined some blue light scattering the glowing barnacles. Ray used his powers to create a turquoise force filed surrounding the ship. That made its exterior clear from the invading pixels. He also used a particle beam straight into the stem, restoring power to the ship. The crew cheered for their endeavors.

"By gah, we've driven those blackguards away!" The captain said. "Mr. Andrew, damage report."

"The shields have received most of the damage, captain."

"If the shields fail, we'd be goners."

There was a distorted voice. With the power back online, they received a choppy message from Samus, "...the shields...get rid of...the Web Creatures, it's our only hope!" It lasted a few nanoseconds before they lost her again.

"Samus? Samus!" Akari tried to call back, but it was no use.

AndrAIa gave the gang the scoop. "We've got the engines back online, but I could only give you 10% of power."

Bob complemented, "Great job, AndrAIa. That's more than enough to get us home. Captain, let's get this ship moving!" He nodded his assent. "Enzo, signal the Surfer and Samus. Stabilize the Tear."

"Aye, aye, sir!" he saluted.

To no one in particular, the Guardian said, "Hmph, I'm surprised at Mouse. This was almost..." Before he finished his sentence, the ship rocked again. "...too easy."

It was another one of Mouse's secondary onslaughts. There were walls that were closing around the Saucy Mare, forcing it forward and shattering the turquoise shield. And the Tear was not yet stabilized. Thinking the rapid rate would delete the crew, the Surfer tried to blast away the wall that enclosed around the ship. That volley of energy only repelled him, and he couldn't penetrate it. The gunship did the same with its rainbow-colored shots but even that damaged it when it bounced off. Ray, the Riders and Samus looked upon the chaos in a hopeless manner.

He said in a saddened manner, "I'm sorry mates. There's nothing we can do. Wherever you're going, you're on your own."

Meanwhile, back inside the doomed vessel, AndrAIa reported, "We've thrown everything we've got at the buffer; nothing's breaking through." At one time, they used some of Akari's strongest Pokémon's attacks, even Mewtwo's telekinesis. Then again, this was the Web, so their powers were useless against the walls. There was very little time before the ship would make contact against the fatal energy coming from the Tear ahead.

Mr. Christopher was getting hysterical. "We have lost the Surfer, Samus, and the Web Riders. And the walls of the buffer are pushing us towards the Tear! What're we going to do?!"

Capacitor attempted to calm him down. "Steady lad, we've gone through worse scrapes than this."

"No we haven't." Mr. Andrew pointed out.

Akari pondered on the bounty hunter's last message. "What did Samus say before, about the shields?" There was no answer.

Bob rambled a little, "I'd always like to fly in the seat of my pants and leave the planning to...Dot." The memory just sliced his heartstrings.

AndrAIa tried to make sense of the crisis. "I understand that Mouse's traps are designed to keep Web Creatures out of Mainframe. Why do they keep attacking us?"

Matrix chimed in, "I say we ram it. We could use the ship to punch through a wall in this buffer."

"Wait!"

"Bob, don't worry, I got everything covered. It's time we use brute force, time to rip open another door." It was pretty typical since all he could rely on was brute strength; it was the only thing that he excelled in.

"No, AndrAIa's right." Bob said. "Mouse's trap shouldn't keep attacking us so what-" Then, he recalled the struggling message his friend was trying to make. "Oh of course, I must be basic!" He faced the leader, "Captain, tear down the shields!" Everyone was in a state of horror.

"Well, that's what Samus and I've been trying to tell you!" Akari spoke over the commotion. She was growing more impatient as she was trying to process the intel, but they were far too busy making their own strategies.

Matrix was completely against it on losing the scales. "No way. They protect us from the Web!"

"Enzo, don't you understand?"

He laid a comforting hand on the Guardian's arm. "Bob, you're tired. I told you I got this one covered."

"Look you trusted me when you were younger. I'm asking you to trust me one more time." he argued with him.

"But why drop the shields?"

"Our shields are made out of dead Web Creatures. That's why Mouse's traps keep attacking us!"

"Uh, exactly." Akari said, finally understanding what Samus meant, but...

"By the code, Guardian. We'll devolve." Capacitor panicked, as if reading the crew's minds.

"Not if we get through the Net as long as they're down."

Matrix was losing his optimism. "But without the Surfer and Samus, we have no way of forming a Portal."

Bob was taken aback by that fact. "I know. I know."

Suddenly, Glitch glowed and spoke to Bob in an unusual tone using beeps and whirs. How the Guardian was able to understand it, they'll never know. Perhaps that is how a Keytool and a sentient Guardian can communicate. "Yes, yes it is possible. But I won't-" It interrupted in response. Everyone was fascinated it could still work in a way, even after Megabyte's destruction. Bob took a deep sigh, "...You're right. There isn't any other way. Everyone get back!" Whatever they were about to do seemed pretty risky. Glitch had its top spinning rapidly as it glowed a bright gold. "Are you sure?" It responded one last time. "Thank you, old friend. Glitch. Download!"

The Keytool transformed into a fiery ball as it departed from Bob's arm. It spun around him faster and faster, leaving blue streaks in its wake. All eyes were glued to the display, even Capacitor's head was going in circles following the small burst of energy. Until...

There was a flash of blinding light as everyone shielded their eyes. By the time the light energy cleared, they all beheld a holy sight. All spectators were completely awed as they saw Bob's fusion: His body illuminated, and he had a white uniform with golden etchings, and several spikes protruding from his limbs. His icon was also relocated in the center of his splendid uniform. This reminded Akari when Samus said she had a similar fusion using the fallen Super Metroid's DNA, heightening their senses and enabling them to do the unthinkable, as if they became demigods!

Bob declared in a deep tone, "We are now one. Let's go home." With a clap, he formed a ball of bright energy, and as he raised his arms he was surrounded in his celestial form. The spectacular aura caused him to gradually lift off the floor, heading toward the Web shields.

"Oh no he's hot!" Akari spurted out, even she was just as surprised with the stunning display, her Pokémon had felt the same as they muttered to themselves.

As the newly-formed Bob made contact, the ship lightened up. In just a few nanoseconds, that stunt made the hides of the vile Web Creatures shatter and left the ship open and encased in the same light.

The Guardian soared away, closer to the Tear as the walls continued to move them forward. With just a few feet away, Bob cupped his hands again, forming a large orb of energy. His hands glowed before he threw it. The spark encircled the Tear before it was stabilized into a Portal, and Mainframe looked more magnificent than it ever did before, like a sun rising in the break of dawn.

With nowhere else to go, Bob led the way homebound. The crew, the Sprites, and the Pokémon couldn't be anymore ecstatic, as the creatures leapt up and down when the Saucy Mare made its way toward the System just ahead. Like ripples in an ocean, they entered the Portal, and as they did, Bob let out a special monologue:

 _ _"I come from the Net. I search through Systems, peoples, and cities. For this place. Mainframe, my home. My format? Guardian, to mend and defend. ReBoot!"__

 ** **A/N: When I was playing Pokémon LeafGreen, I never understood why Rattata was hated so much; sure, it had a ton of knockoffs in every generation, but I never found her to be horrible to use. Yes they could be used as HM slaves, lab rats, but it was quick and easy to evolve, reliable, and always had one of the best moves, Hyper Fang; it never fails.****

 **As for the punchline Akari made at the end, that was a shoutout to one of the ReBoot retrospectives made by Pokeprof; seriously, this guy, and Bull Session, made awesome and hilarious work to boot.**

 **So our heroes have finally arrived at Mainframe, though they lost Samus, Ray, and the Riders. What will they come across, will they be successful on saving the war-torn System? Find out next time.**


End file.
